Afghanistan’s economy has grown by an estimated 2.9 percent in 2019, driven mainly by strong agricultural growth following recovery from drought, but lingering political uncertainty dampens private confidence and investment, the World Bank reported on Wednesday.

“Growth picked up in Afghanistan in 2019. This is good news, but insecurity and political uncertainty are holding back the Afghan economy,” said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan.

The Afghan parliament on Wednesday approved the coming fiscal year’s budget plan. It gained a majority of votes just ahead of the winter recess.

The budget totals 428 billion Afghanis, with 289 billion Afghanis allocated for the "ordinary" budget and 139 billion Afghanis for development.

US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos on Tuesday, and Trump met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday, the Palace reported.

Khan and Trump discussed bilateral relations between the two countries including peace in Afghanistan, Reuters said.